Enthusiastic Endorsement for Prison Legal News

As a long-term prisoner, I want to express my admiration for what Paul Wright and Alex Friedman have accomplished. They are former prisoners who have made a huge difference in society through their publication known as Prison Legal News. Through that newspaper, they publish content that can be of great value to prisoners, family members of prisoners, criminal defense attorneys, journalists, academics, and others who have an interest in both prison life as well as the legal decisions that influence prison life.

I have been a fan of their work since the early 1990s, when I first saw the publication. I was then in the beginning years of my sentence, locked within the high walls of the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta. As I recall, I was in the law library when I came across the newspaper. The quality of the writing and the reporting inspired me, as I was then studying to develop my writing skills. I was especially impressed in that the writers coordinated the publication of Prison Legal News while serving lengthy prison terms inside the Washington State prison system.

I know the hurdles I faced as a federal prisoner who tried to make meaningful contributions to society. Rather than encouragement, I faced challenges, obstacles, and obstructions. I suspected that Mr. Wright and Mr. Friedman faced similar struggles. Nevertheless, they succeeded in producing a fine publication that has made a significant contribution to the understanding of our nation’s prison system.

The writings my wife publishes for me at Prison News Blog differ from the valuable articles available at Prison Legal News. Most of my work is editorial in nature from a first-person perspective. I do not write about legal issues. My writing focuses on preparing offenders to emerge from confinement successfully and providing arguments in favor of prison reform.

Although I do not have an affiliation with Prison Legal News>, I urge my readers to use Prison Legal News as a resource. Although I do not have access to the web and cannot see the online version of Prison Legal News, I feel comfortable endorsing the web site because I know the value of the content.

Book by Michael

In his newest book, Inside: Life Behind Bars in America, Michael Santos shows readers what it's like to live in America's jails and prisons. Using the voice of the penitentiary, he graphically describes a system infested with gangs, drugs, beatings, shanks, and extortion. From meth-crazed prisoners raping the weak, to female guards who prostitute themselves with the help of gang leaders, and murders in protective custody, Santos brings readers as close as they'll ever want to come to confinement.

It is not the sugarcoated version of "corrections" and "rehabilitation" that administrators want taxpayers to swallow. This book describes a $60 billion industry designed with policies and infrastructure that perpetuate failure.

Santos succeeds in introducing readers to the characters, values, and growing subculture festering inside America's prison system. With the soaring costs of keeping more than two million prisoners inside, this hard-hitting book is timely for all nonfiction readers.